click here for an audio-visual look at the gig highlights

***for full gig listings jump to the bottom***

Greetings:

This weekend in Phnom Penh, the big deal is Canopy Fest X CULT, two days of activities featuring a live music line up including Lakhong Luong, Khmer Magic Music Bus, Japan Guitar Shop, Maki Orkestr, Mimi & the Merrymakers, Arome Khmer, Checkered Past, We Are Ewe, and Pocket Change.  See our feature article below.

For those making an early start to the weekend, you can find Ilya Konstantinov [see Passing Chords below] at Craft, Bob Bluesman & Troy Campbell at Tacos Kokopelli, Chor Yee at Samai Rum Distillery, Loopy Reggae at The Silk Route and later on The Extraordinary Chambers at Oscar’s on the Corner.  In Kampot,. Chiet Ukham is joined by Puzzle Muteson (Terry Magson) at Madi Bar.

On Friday night in Phnom Penh for Valentine’s Day we have two extremes –The Love Boat featuring The Pearls of Phnom Penh an array of singers and songwriters (tickets still available), while The Deck hosts an anti-Valentines Day event with Summer Lee Carlson & Mute Speaker.  In between these two themes you can find Poca de Feo at Craft, Jazz Sauce at The Tin Hat, and students from Friend Music School at Let It Be Cafe.  Elsewhere, Roberto Salgado & Alan Breen are at Botanico, Loopy Reggae are at The Big Easy, Passion Soda are at Little Susie and Melody & Joe at Bat Muk Yu.  Later and louder, The Visa Runners at Hometown Hangout and The Blue Souls Big Band (featuring a three-piece horn section) are at Oscar’s on the Corner.  On the coast Chris Garcia and Arome Khmer are at Les Papilles Enchantees in Kep, while in Kampot Puzzle Muteson (Terry Magson) is at Banyan Tree and Frankie Teardrop Dead are at The Bay.

On Saturday night in Phnom Penh Rags to Rainbows are at Craft, Cheska is at Botanico and Summer Lee Carlson & Mute Speaker at Chew & Bash.  Cardboard Li-Fi is at Bat Muk Yu, Loopy Reggae are at Little Susie, Brooke Palmer is at Tropico and Shake79 are at Oscar’s on the Corner.  On the coast, Andy Luna is at Kep Natural.

On Sunday in Phnom Penh, Mike & Margie are at Villa Grange, Adam Marsland is at The Box Office, the regular Sunday Sundowners open mic is at Tacos Kokopelli, and Stu Cottom is at Bar Oz.  Later on The Tuesday Welders are at Oscar’s on the Corner.

The LengPleng Feature Article

In the mix – Canopy Fest X CULT

Things are afoot at Treelion Park this weekend.  Combining the park-like setting with established Cambodian market staging operation CULT, Canopy Fest will take place over Saturday and Sunday offering a range of activities including two days of concerts by local acts.  LengPleng went to see Yannick and Ann-Laure to chat about what Phnom Penh can expect.

“We want to see everyone gathered around the same stage,” says CULT founder Anne-Laure Bartenay.  “We are envisioning more than just concerts – it’s about creating a full-day experience that keeps people engaged and exited to return the next day.  With a wide range of activities for kids, teenagers and adults, there’s something for everyone to enjoy beyond the music.”

Read the whole article here

Passing Chords – a few things you may not know about

Ilya Konstantinov, AKA Feelsax, Russian saxophonist who you may know from Phnom Penh outfits Maki Orchestra and Funky Chicken, currently based in Danang, where he plays with Das Quatro.  Back in Russia he played with Doctor Jazz and The Tequila.  He’s in Phnom Penh for the weekend where he plays at Craft on Thursday, with The Blue Souls Big Band at Oscar’s on the Corner on Friday, and then at Canopy Fest X CULT he will play with Maki Orkestr and Japan Guitar Shop on Saturday and Pocket Change on Sunday.

Do you have a pet musical hate/pet peeve?
In music, I have learned to accept almost everything as a given, except for swear words in songs.  In everyday life, I am irritated by parasitic words and some primitive-level slang words.

A private musical indulgence:
I can’t stop listening to smooth jazz music (24/7), it started in 1992 when I first learned about Grover Washington Jr.

The year you first came to Cambodia:
2022.

An early music memory:
I remember classical music from a very young age.  My mother is a professional pianist, and I consciously memorised melodies somewhere from the age of 3, as it turned out it was Rachmaninov and Chopin.

The last thing you had to eat:
Scrambled eggs with tomatoes and sour cream.

Stagefright: yes or no?
Yes. The bigger the stage and the audience, the greater the responsibility, which sometimes develops into stage fright. But every year this becomes less and less.

A country you want to visit:
Brazil and Nepal.

A book or movie you keep going back to:
Anything by Chekhov, Dostoevsky, Tolstoy and Pushkin.

What languages do you have?
My native language is Russian, after that conversational English. I am gradually learning to speak Vietnamese – I can already speak a little.

Your primary instrument, and when you started playing it:
Saxophones: soprano, alto, tenor, baritone.  In Asia I use alto and tenor.  The first time I picked up an instrument was when I was 16 years old.

Something people might be surprised to know about you:
I come from a huge musical dynasty. My grandfather was a saxophonist, my father is a saxophonist, my older brother is a saxophonist. My son plays the saxophone, my brother’s daughter is a saxophonist at the Moscow Higher Music School. Only my mother is a pianist, and she graduated from the conservatory.

You have a time machine and a magic ticket to one gig or festival in the past. What do you choose?
Jaco Pastorius at the Montreal Jazz Fest in 1982.

A question from the last participant : If you could invite four dead musicians to a dinner / disco which four would you choose and why?
Dizzy Gillespie, I would like to hear his humor and understand his thinking and concepts of his world view, as much as I could of course. John Coltrane, so that he could finally explain to me how to play the harmony of the Giant Steps. Johann Sebastian Bach, so that I could touch the eternal genius that he created. Michael Brecker, I would like to ask the secrets of his playing technique and what mouthpiece and reeds he used.

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Steve Porte Photo of the Week

Riot in School (China) in action at Get In The Penh XI at Oscar’s on the Corner on Sunday 9 February 2025

 

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See you around the traps.
your correspondent,

 

Guillermo Wheremount
LengPleng.com
gigs@lengpleng.com (mailto:gigs@lengpleng.com

 

Weekly Gig Guide – week commencing Thursday 13 February 2025

** residency/weekly

For DJs and clubs, we recommend Phnom Penh Underground

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

*Note that Wednesday events are often not announced until early in the week – check back here for updates*

Coming soon:

  • Thursday 20 February
  • Friday 21 February
  • Saturday 22 February
    • Kampot Craft Beer Festival with Jam-Cha plus The Wildmen plus Matsamura Fishworks, Monkey Republic (Kampot)
    • The Originals Acoustic Showcase with Lewis/Michelle/Chris, Seyha and Poca de Feo, 6 pm, The Deck
    • Muxu Acoustic, 6.30 pm, Craft
  • Tuesday 25 February
  • Friday 28 February
  • Saturday 1 March

 

By Weekly Wrap